If the door says Schwab, your safe was made by a Lafayette, Indiana, firm that was at work from at least 1899 until it became part of SentrySafe in 2008. Here’s its history from directories, catalogues and trade papers, with catalogue weights and the clues that date yours.
1899
Schwab Safe and Lock Co. incorporated in Indiana
300 lb
smallest office safe in the 1907 catalogue
4,800 lb
its largest double-door jewellers’ safe
2008
Schwab Corp. sold to SentrySafe
Key takeaways
- The company later advertised “Rugged Quality Since 1872”, but the earliest record we found is its incorporation in Indiana on 6 May 1899.
- It was named after its owner, the Chicago lawyer and politician Joseph S. Schwab, and was run from about 1901 by the Loeffler family of Chicago and Lafayette.
- Early safes are lettered “Schwab Safe & Lock Co., Lafayette & Chicago”; by 1920 the firm was “The Schwab Safe Co.”, and from 1959 “Schwab Safe Co., Inc.”
- The 1907 catalogue lists office safes from 300 lb (136 kg) to double-door safes of 4,800 lb (2,177 kg), all with Yale combination locks.
- Later Schwab products are Underwriters Laboratories (UL) labelled fire-resistant safes, files and vault doors, made at Cannelton, Indiana, until SentrySafe bought the company in 2008.
In This Article
Schwab Safe Company at a glance
| Country | United States (Lafayette, Indiana; office in Chicago in the early years) |
| Founded | 1872 by the company’s own account; incorporated 6 May 1899 |
| Owners | Joseph S. Schwab (to about 1901); the Loeffler family (about 1901 to 1959); Midwestern Manufacturing Corp. (from 1959); SentrySafe (from 2008) |
| Trading names | The Schwab Safe and Lock Co. (1899); The Schwab Safe Co. (by 1920); Schwab Safe Co., Inc. (1959); Schwab Corp. (by 1997) |
| Works | Corner of Main Street and Earl Avenue, Lafayette (by 1909); plant at Cannelton, Indiana (by 1973; main plant by 1997) |
| Products | Fire-proof safes and chests, burglar-proof chests, double-door jewellers’ safes, vault doors; later UL-labelled insulated safes, filing cabinets and vault doors |
| Fate | Bought by SentrySafe (Sentry Group) of Rochester, New York, in 2008 |
History of the Schwab Safe Company
1872 or 1899?
The date on the adverts and the date on the paperwork don’t agree. By 1959 the company described itself as “organized in 1872”, and in 1997 it marked 125 years in Lafayette.1,2 We haven’t found a Schwab safe business in any record before 1899. The first firm document is a filing with the Indiana Secretary of State: The Schwab Safe and Lock Co. was incorporated on 6 May 1899.3 In August 1900 the state factory inspector was already issuing safety orders at its Lafayette works.4 The 1872 date may come from an earlier business that the company absorbed; if you know which, we’d like to hear from you.
Joseph S. Schwab, owner and president
The Schwab of the name was Joseph S. Schwab, born in New Orleans in 1856, a lawyer who moved to Chicago, served in the Illinois legislature and on the Chicago board of education. His official biography says he “was the owner and president of the Schwab Safe and Lock Co., factory located in Lafayette, Ind., turning out 15,000 safes annually”, and that after disposing of his interests he moved to New York in 1901, where he went into real estate and later became a New York State Tax Commissioner.5 Take the output figure with a pinch of salt: it’s his own, and we haven’t found a second source for it. A campaign letter in The New York Times in 1908 called him “until recently” the company’s president, so his exit may have been gradual.6
The Loeffler years, 1901 to the 1950s
Control passed to a Chicago family. In January 1902 the Chicago Tribune reported the marriage of Frank Loeffler, 23, “secretary of the Schwab Safe and Lock company at Lafayette”, and son of Chicago’s City Clerk, William Loeffler.7 The 1909–10 Lafayette directory lists William Loeffler as secretary and Frank as treasurer, at the north-east corner of Main Street and Earl Avenue.8 When Frank died in August 1932 his obituary said that he had kept the company’s Chicago office as treasurer, and had succeeded his father as president about 21 years earlier.9
The works grew. In 1905 the “Schwab Safe & Lock Works” announced a brick foundry 60 feet wide and 100 feet long.10 A county history of 1909 named it as Lafayette’s maker of fire-proof safes.11 By 1920 the directory called it The Schwab Safe Co., with Samuel A. Cahn as secretary and general manager and staff from foremen to stenographers.12 The family stayed in charge: a 1952 trade directory gives the president as Mrs. E. V. Loeffler.13
The 1907 catalogue
A Schwab catalogue printed in Lafayette in 1907 survives at the Indiana State Library. It offers “fire and burglar proof steel safes and vaults” from Lafayette and Chicago: a small fire-proof chest for farmers and households, “household and business man’s” safes, double-door safes for jewellers, plain “skeleton” safes for silverware, fire-proof vault doors, and thin-walled safes for South America and Mexico.14
The catalogue explains how they were built. The body was one continuous plate of wrought steel forming top, bottom and sides, with a separate steel back and heavy angles front and rear; the walls were filled with a fire-proof “concrete” mix that set hard; the bolt work sat inside the door, worked by a T-handle and kept separate from the lock spindle; and the hinges were riveted on outside. Every safe and burglar chest had a Yale combination lock, the O.C., with the slightly dearer Yale O.B. also offered, and the burglar chest fitted inside a fire and burglar-proof safe was two-inch solid metal weighing over 500 lb (227 kg) on its own.14
Finish mattered to the buyer. Schwab promised “the best oil colors”, “gold stripings and artistic designs”, a painted scene in a panel on the door, and the purchaser’s name over the door in shaded gold letters at no extra charge.14 So if there’s a name painted across the top of your Schwab, it’s usually the first owner’s, not the maker’s.
Insulated safes, stokers and a sale, 1930s–1959
In 1932 the company took an assignment of Paul E. Pyle’s patent for an automatic safe door lock.15 In the 1930s it sold through office equipment dealers, running sales contests and sending travellers such as Elmer Memering round Michigan and the central states.16 Safes weren’t the only line, either: during the Second World War it also advertised “Schwab Safe” automatic stokers for coal-fired heating.17
On 1 May 1959 the Midwestern Manufacturing Corp. of Indianapolis, which had made “Ever-Safe” fireproof equipment since 1950, bought The Schwab Safe Co.’s trade name, land, buildings and equipment. The old company was dissolved and Midwestern renamed itself Schwab Safe Co., Inc., “in order to retain that 87 year old name”, with Elmer Memering as president.1,18 By then Schwab offered some 200 standard models, all with Underwriters Laboratories fire labels (Class A, B or C), a T-20 burglary label and a relocking device label.1
Cannelton and the SentrySafe sale
By 1973 Schwab Safe Company, Inc. had a plant on Highway 66 at Cannelton, on the Ohio River in southern Indiana.19 In 1988 the company, at 3000 Main Street, Lafayette, described its products as UL-rated fire-resistant insulated safes, files and vault doors for paper, microforms and magnetic media.20 In 1997 Schwab Corp. moved what little manufacturing was left in Lafayette to “the main plant in Cannelton”, keeping management in Lafayette.2
In August 2008 SentrySafe of Rochester, New York, bought Schwab Corp. for an undisclosed price and made it a subsidiary. Reports at the time gave Schwab about 105 employees, 80 of them at Cannelton, and a network of about 1,500 commercial dealers.21 What became of the Schwab name after the takeover, we haven’t been able to find out.
How to identify and date a Schwab safe
Start with the door: read the lettering on the front, then look for a label on the door edge or inside. For methods that work on any maker, see our guide on how to date an old safe.
Clue 1
The name
“Schwab Safe & Lock Co., Lafayette & Chicago” is the early name, used from 1899; the 1907 catalogue shows it and surviving safes carry it.14,22 “The Schwab Safe Co.” is in use by 1920. “Schwab Safe Co., Inc.” means 1959 or later, and “Schwab Corp.” the 1990s or 2000s.12,18,2
Schwab safe serial numbers
There’s no public Schwab serial number lookup, and we haven’t found a published list of Schwab serial numbers by year. The company’s records would have passed to SentrySafe in 2008 if they survived, but we can’t say whether they did.21 Write down the number from the door edge or label anyway, together with the name, the label class and the measurements: dated examples from owners are how serial lists get built.
How much does a Schwab safe weigh?
Short answer: heavy. The 1907 catalogue gives outside measurements and an approximate weight for each model. These are some of them:14
| Model (1907) | Outside size (H × W × D) | Approximate weight |
|---|---|---|
| No. 20, single door | 24¾ × 16 × 16 in | 300 lb (136 kg) |
| No. 25, single door | 27 × 18½ × 17 in | 400 lb (181 kg) |
| No. 30, single door | 29 × 18½ × 19½ in | 500 lb (227 kg) |
| No. 40, single door | 32½ × 22½ × 23 in | 750 lb (340 kg) |
| No. 50, with inside door | 38½ × 25½ × 25 in | 1,000 lb (454 kg) |
| No. 65, lodge and business safe | 42 × 27 × 29 in | 1,250 lb (567 kg) |
| No. 70, five-inch wall | 50 × 31½ × 30 in | 2,200 lb (998 kg) |
| No. 110, double door | 53½ × 37½ × 30 in | 2,500 lb (1,134 kg) |
| No. 130, double door | 60 × 42 × 33 in | 3,000 lb (1,361 kg) |
| No. 160, double door, jewellers’ | 74 × 42 × 35 in | 4,800 lb (2,177 kg) |
“The weight of a new fire-proof safe can only be approximated.”
Schwab Safe and Lock Company catalogue, 1907
The catalogue warns that a new safe lost 50 to 150 lb (23 to 68 kg) as its filling dried, so treat the figures as approximate. Unlined “skeleton” safes of the same sizes weighed only 150 to 415 lb (68 to 188 kg).14 For a safe not in the table, measure the outside and use our safe weight calculator.
Moving a Schwab safe
A 2024 survey of US locksmiths put a typical safe move at $250 to $500, depending on size and access.24 Even the smallest catalogue safe is too heavy for two people on stairs; use a specialist safe mover and give them the measurements and photos of the route. Our guide to moving or getting rid of an old safe covers quotes, scrap and selling.
What is a Schwab safe worth?
We haven’t found published sale prices for Schwab safes, so we can’t give you a range for this maker. As an informal guide, not an appraisal: an early Schwab Safe & Lock Co. safe with its original painted scene, gold lettering, working Yale lock and known combination is the most saleable, mainly to collectors and as a decorative piece. If yours is a mid-century or later UL-labelled Schwab safe or fire file, buyers want it for use, so what it’s worth depends on its fire rating, condition, working lock and the cost of moving it. Our guide to what old safes are worth gives dated prices for comparable American safes and explains what adds or removes value.
Lost the combination to a Schwab safe?
There’s no public register of Schwab combinations, so you’ll need a qualified safe technician; in the US, the Safe & Vault Technicians Association lists them.25 Expect to show proof of ownership. Don’t force or drill the door yourself: Schwab safes from the 1950s on were sold with relocking devices, which are designed to lock the bolts for good if the lock is attacked.1 Our guides to old safe combination locks and to being locked out of an old safe explain what a technician does and what it costs.
Myths and mix-ups
Schwab has made safes in Lafayette since 1872.
1872 is the company’s own claim. The earliest record we found is the 1899 incorporation, and by the 1990s the safes were made mainly at Cannelton.
Schwab safes are connected with Charles Schwab.
No. The firm took its name from Joseph S. Schwab, a Chicago lawyer, and has no link with the steel magnate or the stockbroker of that name.
There is a free online Schwab serial number lookup.
We have found none, and no Schwab serial list has been published. Name, labels and construction are the reliable clues.
Not sure what you have? Send us photos of the door lettering, any labels and the serial number, with the outside measurements, and we’ll help you date your Schwab.
Frequently asked questions
Who made Schwab safes?
The Schwab Safe and Lock Company of Lafayette, Indiana, incorporated in 1899, later The Schwab Safe Co., Schwab Safe Co., Inc. and Schwab Corp. It became part of SentrySafe in 2008.
How old is my Schwab safe?
“Schwab Safe & Lock Co., Lafayette & Chicago” with a painted scene points to the early years of the company, from 1899. UL labels suggest the 1950s or later, and “Schwab Safe Co., Inc.” means 1959 or later.
Is there a Schwab safe serial number lookup?
Not a public one. No Schwab serial list has been published; send us the number with photos and we’ll add it to our records.
How much does an old Schwab safe weigh?
The 1907 catalogue gives 300 lb (136 kg) for the smallest office safe, 1,000 lb (454 kg) for a 38-inch safe and up to 4,800 lb (2,177 kg) for the largest double-door safe.
Is the Schwab Safe Company still in business?
Not independently. SentrySafe bought Schwab Corp. in 2008 and made it a subsidiary.
Sources:
- “Schwab Safe Purchased by Midwestern Manufacturing”, Office Products Dealer, June 1959, with the company’s advertisement in the same issue. ↩︎
- “Schwab Renews 125 Year Commitment”, The National Locksmith, October 1997. ↩︎
- List of corporations filed in 1899 (“Schwab Safe and Lock Co., The: May 6, 1899”), in the Annual Report of the Indiana Secretary of State (1900), Internet Archive. ↩︎
- Factory inspection orders, “No. 1362, August 3. The Schwab Safe and Lock Co., Lafayette”, in the Annual Report of the Department of Inspection of the State of Indiana (1900). ↩︎
- Biography of Joseph S. Schwab, State Tax Commissioner, in The New York Red Book (Albany, 1914); the same text appears in the 1913 edition. ↩︎
- “Schwab for State Senator”, letter to the editor, The New York Times, 18 October 1908. ↩︎
- Report of Frank Loeffler’s marriage at Hammond, Indiana, Chicago Daily Tribune, 20 January 1902. ↩︎
- “Schwab Safe and Lock Co, Wm Loeffler sec, Frank Loeffler treas, n e cor Main and Earl av”, in the Lafayette, Indiana, city directory, 1909–10 (R. L. Polk), Internet Archive. ↩︎
- “Frank Loeffler Claimed by Death”, Lafayette news, Our Sunday Visitor, 28 August 1932. ↩︎
- Foundry and machine shop notes, The Iron Trade Review, 2 February 1905. ↩︎
- Richard P. DeHart (ed.), Past and Present of Tippecanoe County, Indiana (Indianapolis, 1909), vol. 1, p. 439 (“Fire proof safes: Schwab Safe and Lock Company”). ↩︎
- Entries for The Schwab Safe Co. and its staff (Samuel A. Cahn, “sec and gen mgr”), in the Polk Lafayette, Indiana, city directory, 1920, Internet Archive. ↩︎
- Manufacturers’ directory, “Schwab Safe Co., Main St., Lafayette, Ind. p, Mrs. E. V. Loeffler”, Fuel Oil & Oil Heat, June 1952. ↩︎
- The Schwab Safe & Lock Company, Manufacturers of Fire and Burglar Proof Steel Safes and Vaults, catalogue (Lafayette: Burt-Terry-Wilson Co., 1907), Indiana State Library; page scans on Wikimedia Commons (public domain). ↩︎
- Paul E. Pyle, “Automatic safe door lock”, US patent 1,870,746, 9 August 1932, assigned to The Schwab Safe Company, La Fayette, Ind.: Index of Patents Issued from the United States Patent Office, 1932; drawings at Google Patents (PDF). ↩︎
- “Big Sales Contest of Schwab Safe Company in Process”, Office Appliances, April 1935. ↩︎
- Advertisement, “Schwab Safe Domestic Stokers”, The Schwab Safe Company, Lafayette, Indiana, Domestic Engineering, November 1944. ↩︎
- “Announcing the Merger of Two Companies for Combined Operation: Schwab Safe Co. Inc., Ever Safe Co. Inc.” (“Rugged Quality Since 1872”), advertisement in Office Products Dealer, October 1959. ↩︎
- Advertisement, “Schwab Safe Company, Inc., Hwy. 66, Cannelton, Indiana”, in the 1973 Perry Central High School yearbook, Internet Archive. ↩︎
- Industry directory entry, “Schwab Safe Co., Inc., 3000 Main St., Lafayette, IN”, The National Locksmith, December 1988. ↩︎
- “Schwab acquired by New York safe company”, Indianapolis Business Journal (2008), and “Acquisition to add reach to Sentry Group sales”, Rochester Business Journal, 26 September 2008 (both paywalled; we read their published summaries). ↩︎
- Online auction lot “B-3 Antique Combination Floor Safe” marked “Schwab Safe & Lock Co, Lafayette & Chicago”, Bye Gones Estate & Moving Sales, Fort Lupton, Colorado, on estatesales.org (checked 26 October 2026). ↩︎
- “Schwab Safe”, in Safeman’s Guide, vol. 1 (Locksmith Ledger, 1970). Cited only for the lock fitted. ↩︎
- CLK Supplies, “Locksmith Price Survey Breakdown: What You Should Know for 2024” (21 October 2024), summarising the Locksmith Ledger 2024 National Locksmith Price Survey. ↩︎
- Safe & Vault Technicians Association, savta.org, “Safe Tech Search” (“Find a qualified technician”). ↩︎
